Car door



April 15 1924.

R. E. MCFARLANE CAR DOOR Filed Sept. 7, 1920 Il .lll IIIIIIII S11/vue 1 l *of @056/27 5. Mvg/f1 We.

Patented Apr. 15, 1924.

UNITED STATES ROBERT E. MGFRLANE, C1? DULUTH, MNNESOTA.

CAR 330GB.

Application filed September 7, 1920.

To @ZZ 'whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, Ronnr E. Mof FARLANE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Duluth, in the county `of St. Louis and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car Doors, ot which the following is a speciiication.

My invention relates to railroad car doors, and has for its object the improvement of such doors to better adapt them tor retaining grain and similar material. The invention is in the nature of an improvement on that described in the U. S. patent granted April 1, 1919, to H. D. Ehle, No. 1,299,312.`

The features of improvement in this present invention are the following: 1st, the door is made of a double thickness of one inch boards or more, reinforced on theoutside with metal plates, said plates being secured with countersunk rivets passing through inner plates and with the rivet heads on the inside7 leaving the outer face of metal reinforcing plates flush; 2d, a metal angle plate is provided on the bottom et' the door on the outside, extending under the door to hold the canvas strip described in the said patent; this plate is riveted through the door with countersunk rivets with light plate washers under the rivet heads, and is secured to the bottom edge of the door with countersunk wood screws; 3d the outer face of the same angle plate is made with three oblong slots for engagement of a pinch or crow bar, for raising the door from outside oi car, the angle under the edge of the door protecting the same and the fabric from damage by the pinch bar; 4th, the door is given an upper hinged section which can be used to. load to a. higher level, if required, than is possible with the door of the patent; 5th, locking devices are provided for the door when closed, consisting of two pivoted dogs, mounted on the right and lett door jambs respectively, the said jambs being Jfaced with metal plates having oblong slots to receive angle pieces riveted to the dogs, which are of spring steel to allow the projecting angles to be sprung back into the slots when the dogs are out of service; 6th and last, a pivoted steel spring angle bar is placed on the inside of the car in such position that when swung around its pivot its longer end will engage the inner edge of the door when closed, and when the door is raised for opening, the bar will rise with it,

Serial No. 408,727.

and when the door is open the bar can be swung back clear of the opening in the side of the car.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is an inside` view of the side of the car with door closed; Figured 2 is a horizontal section of same taken above the door; Figure 3 is a vertical section through the door, drawn on an enlarged scale; and Figure i is an outside view of a part of the door showing the bottom angle piece.

Referring to the drawings, and especially to Figure 1, it will be seen that l pivot my door by means of an L. shaped slet 13 working on a pivot bolt 14, and when the door has been raised and swung back away from the opening 2, l detain it by means of a metal spring cli) holder 18 mounted on a strip (or angle it desired) 17, the doo-r resting on a block 16, all as in the patent.

The improvement Jfeatures are shown as follows: rlhedoor 3 has an upper section 22 hinged at 23 24k to open inwardly. The sides are faced with metal strips or plates 4 and 5 on the inside as in Patent 1,299,312 above referred to and 11 on the outside, all riveted as stated, with the outer4 ends ot the rivets Hush; and the bottom of the door is titted with an angle plate of metal, 6, (Figs. 1, 3 and 4,) having slots 60, (Fig. t) to receive the end of a pinch bar, 25, (Fig. 3), the lower edge of the door and the canvas under it being thus protected from injury. The jamhs of the opening 2, right and lett, are fitted with metal plates 9, each carrying a pivoted dog 7 or 8, which when down en gage the upper edge et the door 'to lock it sungiy against the jambe. Further locking for the lower part of the door is provided by the pivoted steel spring angle bar 19 having a long end and a short end, the former engaging the metal strip 5 when the door is closed, but swinging around on the dotted line and remaining clear of the opening 2 when the door is stowed. Each dog` 7 or 8 carries on'its back an angle piece 10 which when the dog is in service can engage the edge of the jamband hold the dog against displace-nient, and when the dog is retracted can be sprung into the slot 100 in the jarnb plate to hold the dog in inoperative position. The lower angle plate 6 extends under the canvas or fabric strip 27, 3) and beside protecting the saine and the edge of the door from injury by lli) the pinch bar, also takes all wear in closin the door. The slots 60 Jfor engagement o' the pinch bar are shown in Fig. t.

It is to be understood that while l have Specifically described the best form known to me of my invention, contemplate some latitude in construction. For example, the dogs 7 and 8, instead of being of spring metal, may be made oi stii metal and given other means to permit yielding in locking and unlocking. The claims are to be construed to cover all proper equivalents 'for the specific forms set forth, therefore.

Having thus described my invention., what l claim is: o

l. A car door comprising a, body adapted to slide across the inner race of the door* opening, built up of two layers of wood strips laid so as to break joint and make a solid mass, inner and outer metal facing strips along the vertical edges of said body, rivets connecting said metal strips through the wooden body, a strip of canvas extending across the lower edge of the door and projecting inwardly therefrom, and a metal angle plate covering and protect-ing said canvas between it and the bottom of the door and having its flange extending vertically upward across the outer face or' the door with openings or recesses in said fiange to receive a pinch bar or similar means for raising the door.

2. In combination with a car door of the type claimed in claim l a pair of metal latch members pivoted on metal plates on the side jambs of the door opening, and extending over the top of the door when closed so as to engage the inner metal facing strips, whereby all bearing and locking surfaces are of metal.

3. In combination with a car door of the type claimed in claim 2, a metal locking plate on each jamb of the door opening7 a spring metal dog thereon having a terminal hook adapted to engage the upper and inner metal edge plate of the door when closed, to lock the same, and an angle piece or shoulder carried by the dog adapted to snap over the edge of the door jamb plate to lock the dog when in engagement with the door.

4. The combination claimed in claim 3, with the additional element of an opening in each door jamb plate adapted to receive the shoulder on the dog when retracted and thereby hold the same out oi locking position.

In testimony whereof I aiiii; mv signature.

ROBERT E. MCFRLANE. 

